Wire-stretcher



(No Model.)

F. J. TOWNSEND.

WIRE STRE'I'GHBR.

No. 398,759. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.`

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@Noam al YATE@ erreur OFFICE.

FREDERICK. J. TOl "NSEND, Ol? Pi'llNTED- POST, NET YORK.

Wil-EWTRETCHER.

SPECIFICATGN forming part of Letters :Patent No. 398,759, dated February 26, 1889.

Application filed May l5, 1888. Serial No. 274,013. [No model.)

To all when v may 0077.466771:

Be it known that l, Fnnionnici; J. TOWN- sEND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Painted Post, in the countv of Steuben and State of New Yorlchave invented certain new and useful Improvements in lire- Stretchers; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class oi iur plements linown as wirestretchers, which are employed in constructing wire Afences and l in stretching wire for other purposes, and it has for its object to provide a simple, durable, and inexpensive device of this nature, which Amay be easily and readily operated by one man, which will not bend the wire, and which increases its grip on the same in proportion as the strain is increased, thus obviating liability`- of slipping; and it consists of the parts and combinations ot' parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a partoi this specification, Figure l is a plan view showing the device in operative position; Fig. i?, a perspective view ot' the grippingtongs; Fig. 2l, a plan view of one ol. the jaws; Fig. li, a detail view showing the method of securin the corrugated plate to the jaw; Fig. 5, two sectional views oi.' the corrugated plate, taken on the lines .ir and y,liig. 4; and Fig. G, a perspective view ot the corrugated plate.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout all the views.

A represents the top of a tfenceposi, and B a lever, in one end of which a metal plate, C, is inserted, (which will be hereinafter denominated a nose-iron,) having one end curved on the arc of a circle and formed with teeth o, and its other end, l), also curved or formed on the arc of a circle, but from a different cen ter or axis, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, the en d of the lever being slotted bv a circular saw, so as to leave the bottom of the slot rounded to correspond with the end ot' the nose-iron C. By this construction the noseiron may be held iirmlyin place against great strain by a rivet or bolt passed through the lever and iron atthe short side ot` the slot,.

owing to the fact that most oi the strain will come against the curved bottom ot the slot and the curved end of the nose-iron, the device being always used in the position shown, with the gripping-tongs attached on that side of the lever on which the slot is shortest. l do not desire, however, to be limited to this exact construction, as it is evident that substantially the same result will be accomplished if the end of the nose-iron is inclined or cut off diagonally from side to side and the bottom of the slot formed as above described, and it may be necessary to use more than one bolt or rivet. The object ot' providing1 the nose-iron is to prevent the wear of the lever, and by forming the teethV on said iron it is prevented from slipping on the post.

At a suitable point in lever i, near the enlarged end of the same, so as to secure the proper purchase when in use, a bolt or staple, D, having a thread formed on one ond, is passed through from side to side and firmly held in place by a nut run on the same. The other end of said staple is enlarged an d perforated, forming an eye, d. and also has a hook, c, formed thereon.

E represents a chain, one end ol' which is connected with eve d and the other carries a swivel-link, e. To the swivel two elongated links, l?, are attached, and also to the evesf, formed in the ends of the handles g of the gripping-tongs, the links F being sullicientlv large to permit the handles to be wid el y separated. The tongs are pivotcd together bv forming a tongue, 71. on the end ol' one ol them and inserting it between the cheeks 71 formed on the end of the other, andthon passing a pin through aperforation in cheeks and tongue. though l may, if found convenient or desirable, have but one cheek and tongue and pivot them together.

The grasping-jaws m` n of the tongs are formed on the sides ot the handles just back of their pivotal point and project laterally therefrom. The jaw nzr extends outwardly beyond the end of j aw n and tapers gradually from all sides to a blunt point, o, the taper on the front or face side commencing from the end of jaw `n.

IOO

The meeting faces of the jaws are corrugated, the cerrugations trending backward at an acute angle to the tongs, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that they will hold the wire firmly and prevent its slippiu g from between them when the strain is increased. I tind that when the corrugations are formed so aste trendV forward at airacute angle, or when they are formed at right angles to the tongs, the wireY will slip out of the grasp of the jaws as the strain is increased; but with them arranged as described the wire will slip deeper into the jaws with increase of strain instead of slipping out. The tongs in operation do not draw exactly straight, as the jaws are on the side of the same, and the tendency of the wire to slip out is g'reatly increased with the corrugations arranged to trend forward or at right angles. i

Vhe object in forming the jaw on, as described is to enable the implement tobe readily used with one hand, the blunt point o of the jaw being easily inserted beneath the wire after the same is strung out to piek it off the ground and permit it to drop between the corrugated faces. In Fig. 3 the corrugations are shown as formed on the jaw itself but they may be formed on a separate plate, fr, as shown in Figs. if and 5, and secured in a recess formed in the jaw by a set-screw, s, passing' through a countersunk opening' formed in the plate and into the jaw.

The recess, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, extends into the handles of the tongs a slight distance, and has walls on all of its sides eX- cept the rear side, so that the plate, which stands slightly above the face of the jaw, will have ample support where it is needed when the device is in use, and be just asiirm as though forming a part of the jaw itself. The advantage ot havin the plates separate from the jaw is that in case ot' wear or breakage they may be removed and others substituted with small expense as compared to the cost of an entire new tongs.

The upper surfaces of the plates, or the jaws if the plates are not used, are crowning or formed on a slight are from corner to corner, as shown best in Fig. G, in which it will be seen that the plate crowns or curves from one corner to the corner diagonally opposite, as from l to 2, so that the plate is thickest on a line drawn from 3 to et and slightly tapers from this line to the corners l and 2. 3y using a plate made separate from the jaws, which are cast with the handles, said handles maybe made of malleable iron and the plate of steel, thus reducing the cost of manufacture and providing a tool practically as durable as if the entire tool were of steel, while the peculiar shape of the plate adds greatly to its strength, as the bearings ot' the wire, when the tool is in use, will be in the center of the plate, thusV reducing its liability to break to the minimum and greatly increasing the grasping power of the device. The purpose of hook c is to shorten the chain, when desired, by

hooking one ot its links over said hook, especially at'the end posts, where the wire should be stretched across the post.- and fastened. By shortening the chain the tongs may be drawn past the postent ot' the way, so that the wire may be fastened to the post. .The swivel e relieves the twist in the wire and allows the same to become straight.

To operate the device, the lever is taken up in one hand and the tongs in the ot-her, the elongated jaw m being' inserted beneath the wire, thereby bringing the wire between the corrugated jaws. The nose-iron in the vend of the lever is placed against one of the fence- 'posts or' a tree or other immovable object, its teeth preventing its slipping', and the lever is moved in the direction shown by the dotted lines, Fig. l, the farther it is moved the greater being the strain on the wire and the tighter the grasp on the wire between the jaws, the latter owing to the fact that the two handles are drawn together by the links F, they tending to straighten or to a horizontal line when the lever is moved.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is j l. The hereinbefore-described wirestreteh er, consisting' of the lever having the curved bottom slot formed in one end, the nose-iron having' teeth on one end and its other end curved or rounded, the staple provided-with the hook and eye, the chain provided with a swivel-link, the elongated links connected with said swivel-link, the tongs having its handles connected with said elongated links,

Aand the corrugated aws projecting laterally from said handles, one of said j awsextending beyond the other and tapering' to a blunt point, as set forth.

2. The combination, in a wireestretcher, ot' the lever, the tongs having laterally-projecting jaws, one of which extends beyond the other andtapersto a blunt point, andaehain for connecting said lever and tongs, substantially'as described.

3. The combination, in a wire-stretcher, o the. lever, the tongs having laterallyprojecting jaws, one of which projects beyond the other, and each of which is recessed on its inner face, the corrugated plates having the IOO IIO

countersunk perforations adapted to fit said recesses, screws for securing said plates in the recesses, and a chain connecting said lever and the handles of the tongs, substantially as described.

. et. The combination, in a wire-stretcher, of thetongs having the corrugated jaws projecting laterally therefrom, the faces of said corrugated jaws curving diagonally from corner to corner, and the corrugations trending backward at an acute angle to the body of the tongs, substantially as described.

5. The hereinbefore-deseribed tongs for a wire-stretcher, consisting' of the handles piv otally secured together at one end, and having theA laterally-projeeting jaws, said jaws having recesses formed in their contiguous In testimony whereof l affix' my signature faces, the plates adapted to ft said recesses iu presence el. two wit-nessus. :md curving' diagonally from Corner-t0 corner on their upper surfaces and having eerrugn- FREDERICK .T. TOW'NSEND. Lions formed on said curved faces, said 00rrugatons trending' at acute angles rearwardly VineSs Si:

`from the handles of the tengS, Substantially (THA, B. SCHUYLElt,

as described. l TILLIS M. EDWARDS. 

